Cultivator attachment for tractors



July 17, 1923.

s. I. NEHER CU IQTIVATOR ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed Jilly 29. '1921- 3 Sheets-Sheet l SAMUEL I. IVEHER HAGZMZZ .Bufiy 17, 1923.

s. n. NEHER QULTIVATOR ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed July 29 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I R w gwmzntoz I s A M UEL IJVEHER attozneq s. I. NEH ER CULTIVATOR ATTACHMENT FOR TRAGTORS Filed July 29'. 1921 s Sheets-Sheet 5 attozuag.

4 To all whom it mayconcem:

Patented 7 July 17, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

saucer. I. wanna, or xnrsronn. manna.

v CULTIVATOR .a'rmcnmnur non morons.

Application and July 29,

Be it known that"I,'SAMUnL I. Names,

.a citizen of the United States, residin at Keystone, in the county ofWells and tate of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivator Attach- -prov-ision' of means for controlling and Fig. 3 a rear'end elevation, 40

.views, 1 indicates the frame portion of a tractor WhlCh may be of, any preferred congpiding the tractor from the cultivator attachment.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for increasing or decreasing the distance of the frame carrying the cultivating parts with respect to the tractor pro er, when the cultivating parts are remove I A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for yieldingly suspend: ing the cultivator attachments from the frame. portion of the device.

, Other objects and advantages will he hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the combined cultivator and tractor, I r

Fig. 2 aside elevation thereof,

Fig. 4 an enlarged detail elevation of. parts of the controlling mechanism for the cultivator, 1

Fig.- 5 a similar view showing the op 0- site side of the mechanism disclosed in ig. i, and a Fig. 6 is an end elevation of parts of the shifting mechanism with parts broken away.

Referring to the drawings inwhich similar reference 1 numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several struction, 2 the motor mounted thereon, and 3 the driving wheels for the tractor.

The side bars of the frame 1 are preferably hollow and receive the inner ends of 1921. semi No. 488,486.-

- an extension frame 4, said extension frame being provided with racks 5, with which co-operate pinions 6, supported from clamping members 7 mounted adjacent the rear ends of the side bars of the frame memloer 1, and by rotating the pinions 6, the frame 4 and parts carried thereby may be moved towards or from the tractor proper. "Su porting the rear end of the frame are gui e wheels 8, which are operated in any suitable manner through the medium of a steering column and hand wheel 10, and when the tractor i? to be used independently of the cultivating mechanism, the cultivating mechanism is removed and the frame 4 moved forwardly and telescoped' with the frame} of the tractor; and in order to properly brace theframe a brace rod 11. is connected at one end to the frame 4:, while the opposite end thereof is entered in a hollow brace rod 12 on the tractorproper, an arm 13 being extended downwardly from the clamping member 7 for supporting the rear end of'the member 12.

. Mounted upon the trains 4 is a rectangular shaped frame 14, extending upwardly from which are brackets 15, 16 and 17, and

through said brackets are extended shafts 1 8, 19 and 20, the shafts 18 and 19 being longitudinally movable through their re-' spective brackets. Adjustably and pivot ally secured to the shaft'18 area pluralityof heads 21, to which are connected beams or shanks 22 of the usual or preferred construction, to therear free en s of which are connected cultivating shovels" 23, which are likewise, of any suitablesize and shape,

thesets of beams being arranged inpairs. so that eachpair will position on opposite sides of a row of growing plants, and? in the present instancethree sets of the cultivators are shown, so that three rows of plants may be cultivated at the same time.

Each pair of heams'22 is supported girom the shaft 19 by means of arches 24, the

upper ends of the arches being connected with sleeves 25 which surround the shaft 19, and their meeting ends are swivelly connected together inany suitable manner, so

that one beam or gang may have independent swinging movement upwardly from the other, but the pairs of-gangs will be caused tomove in unison laterally, the

arches also serving to cause the pairs .of"

beams to travel in roper s areal relation from each other. he ts 18 and 19 are shifted longitudinally, for properly positioning the pairs of cultivator attachments with respect to the rows of plants being cultivated, and power is derived fromthe motor employed for driving the tractor for shifting these shafts, the shaft 18 hav-- ing teeth 26 thereon, co-operating with w ich is a pinion 27 mounted upon a shaft 28, said shaft extending horizontally through a-housing 29, and having a gear "30 on its inner end, which engages a rack 31 connected to the shaft 19 by means of laterally extendin arms 32 at its ends.

In the length 0 the shaft 19 is formed a top shaped rack bar 33, the upper horizonl teet 35 arranged for engagement from one direction, with a pinion gear 38 while the lower portion 36 is provided with teeth 37,

arranged for engagement with the pinion gear mm the opposite direction. The pinion ar 38, is mounted on one end of a shaft 39, and the end of said shaft is to be raised or lowered for engaging the ar with eitherset of teeth 35 or 37 The s aft '39 extends forwardly through the housing 29, and is provided'in its length with a universal joint 40, so that the gear 38 may be readily raised or lowered .without interfering with the operation of the shaft. The forward end of the shaft 39 is'extended through the forward end of the housin -29, and has a sprocket wheel 41 connected t erewith, around which passes a sprocket chain 42, fire opposite end of said chain extending arounda sprocket 43 on a driving shaft 44, the-shaft 44 being rotatably mounted upon parts of the frame of the tractor, and connected with the driving shaft of the motor 2 through the medium of a sprocket chain 45,

In order to shift the shafts 18 and 19 laterally and thereby change the position of a the gangs with respect to the rows of plants rection, the gear 38 is lowered until it enbeing cultivated, the rear end of the shaft 39 is raised or lowered until gear 38 en- -gages either the teeth 35 .or 37, and when the teeth 35 are engaged the loop 38 and the shaft 19 will be moved lengthwise to the left, and as the rack 31 ,is' fixed to the shaft 19 the gear 30 will be rotated with the move- *ment of said shaft and through the shaft dent to the movement of the shaft 19.

For moving the shafts in the opposite dithe teeth 37,\ which results in moving the shaft 19 to the right, and through the gear 30 shaft 38 and pinion 27, the shaft 18 will be shifted to the right.

The rear end of the shaft 39 is entered cthrough a slidingbearing 48, and connect-- f v rtion 34 thereof having a plurality of ed with said bearing is a toggle lever construction 49, which is connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 50, and the opposite 1 held suspended midway between the teeth of the loop shaped rack bar 33, and out of engagement with both sets of teeth 35 and,

37, by means of coil springs 56, one above and one below the bearing 48, the tension of said springs'being uniform, so that the gear will be normally centered between the upper and lower portions of the loop and held in that position until such time as the toggle shaped rack bar lever construction is. operated for raising or lowering the 'ear. The beams or gan 22 are suspended rom supporting bars 5 by means of cables or the like 58, the supporting bars 57 being connected at one end with the shaft 20, and

associated with each su porting bar is a guide frame 59, which 1s substantially in segmental formation and rovided at its outer extremities with shou ders 60, so that the supporting bars 57 may have a limited movement independently of the guide frame 59.

The supportin bars 57 and the guide frame 59 are yie dingly suspended so as to yieldingly" support the beams or gangs 22 by means of springs 61 and 62, said springs being arranged in pairs and on opposite sides of each set of guide frames and supporting bars, arts of the springs being coiled around t e shaft 20, while one end of each spring rests against a tensioning bar 63, and the oppositeends thereof entered in projecting notches 64'and 65on the supporting bars 57 and guide frames 59, respectively.

The tensloning bar 63 is controlled for increasing or decreasing the tension of the springs 61 and 62 by means of alever 66', and-additional tension on the springs may be obtained by shifting the position of the ends of the springs engaging with the projecting notches 64 and 65. By this form of construction the gangs are not only yieldingly supported, but 'the depth to which they will enter the soil may be readily regulated through the medium of the tensionmg' springs and parts associated therewith.

In order to employ power from the motor for automatically raising the gangs from engagement with the 'soil, a bevel gear 67 is atill 8, with which meshes a tached' to the shaft 39, which meshes with a similar gear .68, mounted upon a shaft 69 extendin at right anglesto the shaft 39 and throng one wall of the housing 29, and on the projecting end of the shaft 69 is a gear 70 for engagement with teeth 71 on an operating through a casing 73, while the opposite en ey 74 the casing 73 being soformed that it will extend over the faces of the gear 70, and is attached in any suitable manner to the side of the housi g 29.

'lhe'lon itudinal movement of the operating bar 2 in one direction is utilized for swinging the guide frames 59 and the su porting bars 57 upwardly for raising t e ngs out of engagement with the soil, t llrough the medium of a link 75, one end of which. is pivoted to one end of the operating bar 72, and the opptosite end to a crank arm 76 fixed to. the she 20. The free end of the operating bar 72 is vertically movable in the casing, so that the teeth 71 ma be elevated out of'the path of the teeth 0 the gieaar 70, and when so elevated said ar may ely rotate Without operating the r 72 a sprin 77 being Namely employed {or holdi g the operating bar 72 in an elevated position and ott oi engagement with the gear 70. t

When it is desired to elevate the gangs, downward pressdre is applied on the, forward end 0 the operating bar 72, through the medium of a lever 78, which is pivoted'to the hensing 29 and has a trunnion -79 rotataloly mounted in the laterally extending portion 80 of the lever 78, wh1ch trunnion engages the o crating bar 7 2, thereby eliminating undue riction between these parts. As soon as the gangs have been elevated at proper distance, a latch 81 is dro ped into engagement with a notch 82 in t e upper face of the operating bar 7 2, thereby holding the gangs in elevated position until such time asthe lever 7 8 is swung a suhicient distance in-the'opposite direction to release the latch from the notch 82, when the gangs will descend by gravity and .to prevent a jar against the end of the casing 78, a cushioning sprin 83 is introduced around the operatlng bar 2, and between the end at the easing 73 and .a head 84% on the end of the op:

crating bar, said spring 83 cushioning The pinions 6 are operatedtor moving the frame d inwardly by mounting a bevel gear 85 on the shalt carrying the pinions inion 88 mounted on a stub shaft 87 at right angles to the shaft carryingthe hevel gear85, said shalt extending through a hearing 88 on parts of the frame structure 1. Power is applied to "blow :as the gangs descend. I

the shaft '87 through the medium of a sprocket chain 89, which passes around a bar 72, one e'nd of the bar passing sprocket gear 90 on the shaft 44, and around a similar sprocket 91 on shaft 87 As the shaft 44 is continugll in operation when the tractor is being use the gear 86 is disengaged from the gear 85 and held out of mesh therewith through the medium of a lever construction 92, which may be of any .preferred construction.

In operation: supposing the device is being used for cultivating purposes, and it is desired to shift the positions of the cultivating gangs to the left, the driver a plies pressure of his foot against the peda 54, which elevates the gear 38 and engages the teeth thereof with the teeth 35, and as said gear is rotating, the-shafts 18 and 19 will be moved lengthwise to the left the required. distance, or until the gear 38 is lowered from engagement with the shoulders 35, while if the gangs are to be shifted in the opposite .direction, pressure is applied to the foot pedal 55, which lowers t e gear 38 into en "g ment with the shoulders 37.

hould it be desired to lift the gangs from engagement with the soil while the tractor is in operation, lever 78 is swung rearwardly, which lowers the trunnion 79 into engage- .ment with the operating bar 72 and forces ice vate the end of the bar 72. The latch 81 will then" descend bygravity and hold the operating "bar against longitudinal movement rearwardly, thereby holding the angs in'suspended or elevated positions unti such time as thelever 78 is operated to disengage the latch from the notch in the bar72.

When the cultivating attachment is disengaged from the frame 4 and the tractor is to be used for other purposes, the frame 4 is preferably coupled up shorter with the tractor so as to position the guide wheels nearer the tractor, and to employ the driving power of-the engine for this purpose the bevel gear 88 is moved into mesh with the gear 85 through the medium of the lever mechanism 92; as soon-as the frame 4 has been properly adjusted, gear 86 is again moved out pi mesh with gear 85. The end of the frame 1 into which the end of the framed is introducedis then preferably clamped around the parts of the frame 4, anysuitable means for tor for moving said shafts for changing the" positions of the cultivating members, and

an extension frame supported from the ground of a second frame carried by the extension frame, shafts mounted on the second frame, cultivating attachments connected to said shafts, means for employing power from the driving means of the tracadditional means operated by the driving means of the tractor for elevating the culti-,

vator attachments.

2. The combination with a tractor having a motor for driving the same, of a frame carried by said tractor, shafts on said frame rack bars connected to said shafts, a plurality of pairs of cultivating attachments connected with said shafts, a gear driven by said motor, means for raising or lowering said gear for moving the shafts lengthwise in either direction without reversing the rotation ,of said gear, means for controlling the movement of said' shafts, means for yieldingly suspending the rear ends of the cultivator attachments from said frame, and

means for utilizing the power of the motor for elevating said cultivators. 3. The combination with a tractor havingfa driving element, of a frame carried by the tractor, a pair of shafts movably mounted on said frame, a plurality of culof cultivating attachments, means for connecting the forward ends of the cultivating attachments to parts of the tractor, a plurality, of pivoted bars .supporting the rear ends of said cultivating attachments,

guide frames for operating said bars and guide frames for permitting limited movement of said bars independently of said 50 guide frames, spring members associated with said supporting bars, and means 'for regulating the tension of the spring members. i

5. The combination with a' tractor hav* ing a driving element, of aframe carried by the tractor, a plurality of cultivating attachments, shafts carried by said frame from. which said cultivating attachments are suspended, ageardriven by the driving element of the tractor, a loop shaped rack bar on one ofisaid shafts having sets of teeth at the upper t and lower edges thereof and positioned for engagement with opposite edges of said. gear, means for raising or lowering said gear for engaging the same with one or the other of the sets of teeth, whereby said shaft may be moved lengthwise in either directionwithout reversing the rotationof said gear.

6. The combinationwith a tractor having a driving element, of a, frame carried by the tractor, a plurality of cultivating attachments, shafts carrie from which said cultivating attachments are suspended, a gear driven by the drivin element of the tractor, a loop shaped'racl; bar on one of said shafts having sets of teeth at the upper and lower edges thereof and positioned for engagement with opposite edges of said gear, means for raising or lowering said gear for engaging thersame with one'or the other of the sets of teeth,

by said frame whereby said shaft may be moved lengthwise in either direction without rever'si v ing a driving element, of'a frame'carried by said tractor, a shaft carried by the frame, a plurality of cult-ivating attachments sus pended from said shaft, a gear driven by the driving element of the tractor, atoothed bar for co-operation with said gear, means for connecting said bar with said shaft,

manually operated means for lowering theteeth of said bar into engagement with said gear for moving said bar lengthwise.

in one direction, for elevating said cultivating attachments, and means for normally retaining the teeth of said bar out of en- 7 gagement with said gear.

8. The combination with a tractor hav ing a driving element, of a frame carried by said .tractor, a shaft carried bv the frame,

a plurality of cultivating attachments suspended from said shaft, a gear driven by the driving element of the tractor, a toothed bar for co-operation with said gear, means for connecting said bar with said-shaft, manually operated means for lowering the teeth of said bar into engagement with said gear for moving said bar lengthwise in one' direction, for elevating said cultivating attachments, means for normally retaining the teeth of said barout of engagement wit said gear, and means for locking said bar in its operated position for holding said.

cultivating attachments in elevated position. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and-seal at Keystone, Indiana, this 30th day of June, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-one.

SAMUEL I. ,NEHER. [L. s], Witnesses: v

EDWIN LOCKWOOD, Z AMos R. WILLIAMS. 

